Kim Jong-un has broken both of his ankles and is now in the hospital after undergoing surgery, a report in a South Korean newspaper claims.

The North Korean leader has been missing for more than three weeks, fueling speculation about what could cause his unusual disappearance from the public eye. Some rumors indicated that he was suffering from gout, others speculated it was a sign of some sort of internal struggle within the secretive North Korean regime, and some even said he was simply getting ill by eating too much Swiss cheese.

But on Tuesday, South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo added a new twist, reporting that Kim was hospitalized in mid-September and had surgery at the Bonghwa Clinic, a hospital for high-ranking government officials in the capital, Pyongyang.

"I heard that Kim Jong-un injured his right ankle in June after pushing ahead with on-site visits and ended up fracturing both ankles because he left the injury unattended," an anonymous source was quoted as saying.

Apparently, Kim sprained his right ankle while wearing Cuban heels during a tour of military bases and factories, the paper reported. Kim was seen limping in July during a TV appearance.

The paper said that Kim was still in the hospital, under heavy protection from bodyguards, and was receiving visits from several government officials.

This rumor seems to confirm what North Korean state media had said on Thursday, when state broadcaster Korean Central Television reported that Kim was "not feeling well," and was suffering from an "uncomfortable physical condition."

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